International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, Vol. 1, No.
2, July 2011
Pre-marital Sex and Pregnancy: the High Price of
Forgiveness
Wilailak Ounjit
Abstract—Thai society is filled with different viewpoints,
whether they are political, economic, or cultural. Generally
speaking, Thais believe in a conservative approach regarding a
woman’s sexual behavior and virginity, which includes not
violating cultural traditions and to preserve one’s virginity
until the wedding day; Thai society has focused on these beliefs
as social norms to which “good” ladies should adhere.
Thai society believes that males have superior social status
to females, especially regarding the value of sex in
society. Thus, males have the privilege of sexual freedom,
whereas Thai women have been inculcated to be careful as well
as control their sexual behavior, and believe in conserving the
virginity as a determiner of a female’s value. However,
according to the present social trend, more people have become
open minded about couples cohabitating before marriage and
this trend is evident in all age groups, from students to adults,
yet this might also be the cause of many problems in Thai
society. Specifically, many problems are in direct contrast to
Thai people’s values, including the state of being pregnant
before getting married. This article aims to explain Embree
[12] and Moerman’s theories [11] about the structure of Thai
society, in terms of the values and standards of Thai society in
regards to sexual freedom and the double standard in the
society as a determiner of a female’s value. It can be concluded
that Thai society did not use only one standard for judging a
human’s societal value, especially in females. Only, a double
standard was used by administering the value and norm of
Thai society as determinants of a person’s value in society.
Index Terms—Double standard, Females’ value, Norm of
Thai society, Pregnant before marriage, Sexual value, Structure
of Thai society.
I. INTRODUCTION
The present state of Thai society has changed very much
from the former time by the influence of western countries.
Changes include the way people dress, expression to the
public, behavior or conduct, manners, values, as well as
sexual behavior causing distinct changes to Thai society.
These rapid changes have affected the way people think as
well as rationale in behaving oneself in daily life.
The society changed rapidly especially in regards to
technology. There were many kinds of equipment for
receiving news, and channels for communication. All of
these things allowed everyone to have an opportunity to
receive new information and ideas from all over the world,
which were different from what they were familiar with. The
danger with advancement, quickness, and modernity, is that
it could cause the people to become disillusioned with the
Manuscript received June 27, 2011; revised July 15, 2011.
W. Ounjit is with Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at
Mahasarakham University, Thailand (e-mail: rock_river_arms@yahoo.com).
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technology or want to embrace it; for instance, the way
people dress or styles being expressed or imitated from what
they had seen or heard from different media sources,
including sexual expression stimulated by magazines,
cinemas and the internet.
According to a number of different factors, they could lead
males and females to express their sexual behavior both in
public and in private, including holding hands, touching,
hugging, kissing one’s cheek, lying on one’s lap etc. to
become common or normal occurrences in Thai society,
which could be seen as an acceptable type of behavior in
every place. At present, both males and females give an
importance to sexual relationships by comparing them with
power as well as mighty. The talk of sexual relationships was
performed openly, including the sexual relationship which
could be found from students to working aged people.
However, the attitude of Thai society towards sexual
relations was still very confusing. While the adults were
criticizing or blaming the search for sexual pleasure, as well
as avoiding talking about sexual relations and feelings of
sexual needs, which were natural things in human beings,
children had their opportunities in perceiving various sexual
stories from various sources such as newspapers, magazines,
movies and television. In some families, there were
expressions showing the sexual relations of their family
member. Therefore, it could be viewed that most Thai people
grow up with a lack of appropriate readiness in advance.
According to the norm of Thai society in freedom of sex, it
recognizes a women’s virginity before marriage as an
important thing. As a result, the sexual relationship before
getting married which could lead to being undesirably
pregnant, is a serious problem in Thai society in the present
day, whether it occurred with any group of people or in any
field, it could always be attentive. So, this article attempts to
provide citation in the theory of Embree [12] and Moerman
[11] for explaining the structure of Thai society in order to
compare the sexual value with the double standards used as
influencing and determining women’s value in society. This
was overlooked by many people, in order to suggest
guidelines in viewing the problem of sexual relations before
being married, which could cause the problem of being
pregnant before marriage.
II. INTERPRETATIONS OF THAI SOCIAL STRUCTURE
It has been mentioned in general that Thai society had
many prominent characteristics; for example, the social class,
and others. However, two scholars, Embree [12], and
Moerman [11] have been debated, namely, whether or not
Thai social structure can be characterized as ‘loose’ or ‘tight’
in relation to social relations and the obligations that they
 International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, Vol. 1, No. 2, July 2011
engender.
A. Embree – a loosely structured social system
The first interpretation, advanced by Embree [12],
characterized Thai society as a ‘loosely structured social
system’ since it represented a ‘culture in which considerable
variation of individual behavior is sanctioned’ when
compared with the more ‘rigid’ Japanese society. In support
of his loosely structured paradigm, Embree points out that
family member lacked a strong sense of obligation or duty to
each other, and thus the family unit was not tightly bound;
there are, however, set duties and obligations among Thai
family members towards each other within the family unit.
He quotes [16] who mentioned Buddhist rules of family
obligations: ‘These are duties of parents to their children:
giving food, clothing, and shelter, forbidding wrongdoing,
encouraging right conduct, giving education, assisting them
in matrimony, and transferring properties to them in good
time.’ Embree [12] notes however, that this transmission was
a female responsibility: ‘It is the mother who transmits these
teachings to their children, not the father. She transmits them
as sage advice rather than as mandatory obligations’ [12].
Embree [12] viewed Thai People as having four major
dimensions: 1) Thai People are very individualistic, are
self-willed, and have no discipline, 2) Thai people have good
conduct and prefer AD-Hoc Activities, 3) Thais are very
flexible, easily adaptable in any situation, but Thai people
are not particularly proactive. 4) Lastly, they accept
constructive criticism and rules and regulations as well as
social norms. Yet, while they fully understand the rules, they
often fail to abide by them because the punishment for
breaking the rules is not severe.
Embree’s depiction of Thailand as a loosely structured
social system quickly gained in popularity and influence to
such an extent that anthropologists working in Thailand
became curiously reluctant to investigate further, or even
tries to explain Thai social structure in any other way.
Embree’s theory implied that the attempt would be fruitless
[14]. Eventually, other Thai scholars were to discover flaws
in Embree’s interpretation of the Thai family unit that had so
long dominated Thai studies.
Similarly, Ruth Benedict [10] studied Thai Culture and
Behavior as well as prominent characteristics of culture
passed on as notable personality traits. Benedict studied
Japanese Culture during World War II and found that the
Japanese had two poles of culture as: Chrysonthenum
morifolium and Samurai for comparison of two aspects of
Japanese’s Cultural Aspect: 1) the aesthetic aspect, including
politeness, consideration to other people, nature loving,
sensitiveness, tenderness, empathy, and 2) the seriousness,
firmness, determination, loyalty to super-ordinates
(exemplified by the United States of America’s decision to
end WWII through bombing Japan in order to force the
Japanese Emperor to admit defeat). Finally, the Japanese
people conceded defeat according to the order of their
Emperor.
Later on, Benedict studied Thai People’s personality by
writing a book called “Thai Culture and Behavior,” stating
that Thai People had neutral culture living as sufficiency, and
being happy is based on personal condition. Therefore, Thai
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People’s personality included: being inert, fun loving,
comfortable, patient, not being enthusiastic, avoidance from
confrontation or violence, and enjoying life in the
moment. The important thing was that the Thai Culture was
dominated by males as the family’s hope which was caused
from the religious belief that the males would become
monks. As a result, their parents could adhere to the monk’s
yellow cloth in heaven.
B. Moerman – a rigidly organized society
The second interpretation opposes Embree’s theory and
claims that the Thai social system is not loosely structured,
but rigidly organized. Moerman [11] studied Thai society’s
structural aspects, and found a large number of informal
structural principles. First, he proposed that social behavior
is directed by numerous alternative principles, and that the
individual is expected to choose the alternative which will
best advance the interests of his or her family. In particular,
he noted that economic alternatives heavily influenced the
choices the individual Thai makes. In studying his research
village, Moerman saw less similarity in what he was
observing in terms of the loosely structured paradigm. In his
view, ‘Individual variation, although characteristic, seems to
be less striking than it is in some societies, which are rarely
called loosely structured’ [11].
Similarly, Thai scholars also began to doubt the validity of
Embree’s paradigm. Punyodyana’s [20] work began by
comparing the relationship and interactions that local
administrators had with the average peasant workers,
discovering that rather than being ‘loosely organized,’ the
relationships he observed were, in fact, governed by
extensive structural norms. Even certain lists of formal acts
existed to govern the interaction between the local
bureaucrats and workers. This high level of formality gives
Thai society a more tightly integrated culture than other
cultures which lack such formalistic norms [21].
In family relations, two scholars, Potter, J. [13] and Potter,
S. [14], also noted that relationships were tightly organized.
Potter, J [13] listed eleven structural elements which seemed
to generate rural Thai communities. These elements included:
the extended stem family and compound; the bilateral
kindred; neighbors and neighborhood; cooperative labor
exchange groups; class and status divisions; the junior-senior
(hierarchical) relationship; the entourage; political factions;
the natural village community; the government’s
administrative apparatus; and the temple. For Potter, J. [13]
all of these elements – working singularly and together – led
to intricately intertwined social relationships and, thus, a
tightly organized social system.
Again, Potter, S. [14] describes family life in Northern
Thailand, observing in one family how economic behavior of
family members was influenced by the social structure of that
family. She also suggested that the Northern Thai family
structure was matrilineal. This female-centered system, as
she labeled it, was a reflection of a delicate and complex
order of roles, statuses and relationships. Her conclusions
were that four significant guiding factors influenced family
order: formal authority rested in the hands of men rather than
women; the younger deferred to the elderly; elders assumed
responsibility for the well-being of the younger; and family
 International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, Vol. 1, No. 2, July 2011
relations were primarily lineal in nature.
Bunnag [15] was another scholar of Thailand who argued
against the ‘loosely structured’ society put toward by Embree.
He indicated that the unit of production in the household
consisted of a core family of husband, wife and children. As
the household aims to be self-sufficient in terms of labor and
food, women are involved both in field and household chores
while men perform fieldwork. Moreover, his analysis in
urban settings showed that normally the husband’s work
takes him away from home every day, and in such
circumstances it is more difficult for woman to take an active
role outside the home.
When both of their theories were referenced, it was viewed
that Thai society had controversial characteristics in the
context of Thai society itself. According to Embree’s
approach, a Thai women’s sexual culture was more
controlled than a man’s. The sexual system as a rigid state of
creation focusing on teaching Thai women to be more
well-behaved than males, whereas Moerman viewed only the
strength of Thai society with culture determining Thai
people’s lifestyle, including sexual role by determining the
women’s value through their role in inculcating, preaching,
and being a role model of proper conduct in good culture.
III. THAI FAMILY STRUCTURE: ROLES IN HISTORICAL
PERSPECTIVE
The best way to understand the social organization of Thai
society is to examine the structure of its basic unit, the family.
Nuclear and extended families form the basic structural units
of Thai society [20]. The extended family unit typically
consists of one or more of the following: maternal
grandparents, parents, married daughters, and unmarried
daughters and sons.
Among the village’s agricultural activities, such as
farming, tobacco cultivation and vegetable gardening,
women participate almost equally in all areas of production
and services. Both male and female adult members of the
village will spend about 75-85 percent of their time in
agricultural activities [28].
A. Husband and wife role
The family structure in Thailand is authoritarian in nature.
The husband is the primary decision-maker, and his decisions
will steer the family’s course throughout his married life [23].
The picture of husband and wife roles in Thai society follows
the age-old view of husbands as ‘breadwinners’ and wives as
‘homemakers’ [24]. This characteristic is still apparent in
rural areas, but less so in urban Thai society. Historically
Thai women were the silent and passive partners of men, and
were largely confined to the house [25]. Outside of the
household, the husband was primarily in charge of dealing
with others, especially in the case of high ranking officials or
the wealthy [24]. Within the family, a husband and wife
share an equal level of responsibility. Each obligation to the
family unit is shared between the spouses, with both
shouldering the burdens of support. Frequently, a wife
addresses or calls her husband by the term ‘phii’ (elder
brother) [26]. A husband-wife relationship is also seen as
similar to sibling relationships, the same type of loyalty
and duty being emphasized
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between married partners in couples.
Within both urban and rural areas, however, the present
situation surrounding women in Thailand has changed.
Although not the official household head, a Thai woman
nonetheless may play a central role in household
management, especially where it concerns economic matters
[27]. Thai women often serve as the financial manager, in
addition to their principal roles of mother and wife. However,
the productive activities of the household are the
responsibilities of both men and women, and both are
expected to contribute [24]. Increasing economic demands
on the Thai family have contributed to a breakdown of the
once sharply distinct line dividing so-called ‘women’s’ work
from ‘men’s’ work [28].
Husband and wife are expected to equally share
responsibility for most of the problem areas of family life
[24]. In addition, both spouses will decide on matters
pertaining to family social activities, e.g. religious rites,
having insurance, as well as the education of their children.
When it comes to choices in the area of family planning, a
couple will discuss together the number of children they
would like to have, and whether they are going to use birth
control methods [29].
Among the village’s agricultural activities, such as
farming, tobacco cultivation and vegetable gardening,
women participate almost equally in all areas of production
and services. Both male and female adult members of the
village will spend about 75-85 percent of their time in
agricultural activities [28].
B. Roles of children
Officially, a Thai baby receives his or her name usually
from a monk, relative or their own parents, and thereafter is
listed as an individual in the records of the local village leader
[27]. Soon after birth, the child’s close family and friends
typically will give him or her a sobriquet; intimates will
continue to call the child by this nickname for the rest of its
life everywhere i.e., school, workplace, surrounding
communities, and of course at home. For example, my
official name is Wilailak, but people normally call me by my
shorten name, Laila. It is not uncommon for an individual to
have trouble remembering his or her given name after several
years, sometimes even forgetting it altogether after a long
enough period [27].
A son’s role changes according to his life course position.
Traditionally, an unmarried son provided his birth family
with both his labor and additionally a stable economic base
[16]. After marriage, a son will move into his in-law’s house,
providing extra labor for his in-law’s fields [16]. This move
may also have the practical benefit of avoiding potential
rivalry between mother and daughter-in-law in assuming
control of the household affairs [27]. Despite this transfer,
the son will still fulfill his familial duty by forming an
alliance between his in-laws and his own family household
[17]. This alliance often proves valuable in times of need.
A daughter is expected to take her husband in to her
house, where he will also provide care and support for her
parents and younger siblings [23]. In rural areas the new
husband’s duties will primarily consist of working the land
to produce foods from different areas, and providing
 International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, Vol. 1, No. 2, July 2011
assistance when family members fall ill [23]. In return for
this added service, a piece of the wife’s family land is
partitioned off and given to the new couple in order to raise
their own family [16]. Eventually, the last daughter will
remain unmarried to assist her parents, as they grow older.
It is the custom among Thai siblings to render aid whenever
and whenever it is requested [17], one example of which is
the need for a baby-sitter. Often older siblings care for
younger ones through baby-sitting, feeding, providing
clothes, and emotional support. This responsibility becomes
more significant when both parents are infirm or dead.
Once this occurs, the eldest sibling typically a married
daughter-takes over the parental role and cares for her
younger siblings, treating them as if they were her own
children [17]. The relationship that exists between sisters
within the same family typically becomes stronger than
between brother and sister, due to the brother’s removal
from the family home and into the role of his wife’s
provider [16]. Once removed, he is not as able to help
compared to the sisters that remain. His major responsibility
becomes supporting his wife and her family
IV. THAI WOMAN AND THEIR INDIVIDUAL ROLE
Sobha [16] outlines in her book Traditional, Present and
Future Role of Women in Thai Society, how to be a success
at marriage in terms of the traditional view of Thai women.
A Thai woman who married a wealthy man could count on
support for the rest of her life. This support would guarantee
that she would not have to work outside of the home. Inside
the home, her primary responsibility would be to supervise
her staff of domestic workers, who in turn would perform all
the household chores at her bidding.
Left free, the wife would be sure to remain in her husband’s
favor, often receiving as a reward lands and finances and, of
course, her husband’s devoted attention. Working outside
the home was not really an option for women in this position,
because the husband would suffer a significant loss in
self-image by being perceived by bothers as unable to
adequately support his family [16].
Overall, Thai women were able to achieve a significant
level of authority within the household as a result of the
traditional family structure [16]. At the same time, Thai
women were socialized to emphasize subservient behavior
more than men. The primary reason for this social norm had
to do with the rite of passage men had to undergo before
attaining adulthood, a rite that was long in duration and hence
respected [17]. Men were expected to pass through a rite of
passage ordination as a monk, fulfilling a traditional aspect of
Buddhist culture [16]. Podhisita [18] explained that in the
past a man who did not enter the monkhood was considered
‘unripe,’ whereas one who did so was regarded as a ‘ripe’
person, or one who was fit to take on the responsibilities of
adulthood, and more specifically marriage and family life.
No male over 18 including the King is exempt from his vow.
This obligation on the males of Thai society is ubiquitous,
and has the same significance from the largest urban center to
the most remote village in Thailand. By virtue of this training,
men were held to have earned a higher respect than women
by having been exposed to spiritual teachings, thus elevating
114
them in Thai society. A man who completed his spiritual
obligation through spending a period as a monk would be
allowed to take his mother into heaven; furthermore, a man
who married afterwards could take his wife into heaven with
him as well.
In contrast, Thai women were traditionally taught by their
mothers and grandmothers to leave the important
responsibilities of earning money and providing food to men
alone [19]. This special sense of responsibility is ‘drummed
into the ears of young girls.’ The ideal for Thai women’s
behavior may be best described by citing at some length
translated pieces from ‘A Maxim for Ladies’ (Ovahat
Krasattri), written in 1844 by Sunthorn Phu, a famous Thai
poet, who continues to form part of the school curriculum and
whose advice to women continues to be wistfully cited by
Thai romantics:
Walk Slowly. While walking, do not swing your arms too
much … do not sway your breasts, do not run fingers through
your hair, and do not talk. Do not stare at anything,
particularly a man, to the point where he can tell what’s going
on in your mind … do not run after men.
… love and be faithful to your husband
… be humble in front of your husband
… when your husband goes to bed, wai him at his feet
every night without fail. When he has aches and pains,
massage him, then you may go to sleep.
… get up before your husband and prepare water for him
to wash…
While your husband is eating, sit and watch him nearby so
that when he needs something he does not have to raise his
voice. Wait until he finishes before you eat (quote in Cooper
and Cooper, 1986:45).
The status of Thai women today has its roots in ancient
times, when roles were assumed by virtue of living in an
agricultural, family-based society, and upon the traditional
beliefs of Theravada Buddhism. Scholars have differed over
whether the overall structure of Thai society is loosely or
rigidly organized; however, it is clear that much of the family
structure has changed little over time, with the family still
forming the most basic unit of Thai society.
V. THE APPROACH OF SEXUAL DEVELOPMENT
Sigmund Freud was a major pioneer of Psychoanalytic
Theory. He classified the human’s livelihood and said that it
consisted of two kinds of instincts: life instinct included the
need for food and happiness, as well as sexual need, and
death instinct, which included the expression of aggression,
violence, and quarreling.
Life instinct or reproduction would occur in development
of a human’s life from childhood to old age. Surely, it starts
to develop during adolescence by having relationships with
process in entering to maturity and expressing as the need for
attachment as well as the interest in the opposite sex.
Sigmund Freud set up the theory “only sex that could
control the world.” He confirmed that human beings had
sexual feelings since they were born, not when they were
grown up, or being limited in adults only. He viewed that
sexual development was a determinant of the process of
being mature. When children were grown up to be
 International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, Vol. 1, No. 2, July 2011
adolescents, they would begin to have their physical,
emotional, and mental changes as well as love as youngsters
with sexual need based on the nature and sexual relation with
the opposite sex differently from their children’s age [4].
In psychological perspective, sexual relation was not learnt.
On the other hand, it was a kind of human beings’ instinct.
The human beings had physical, mental, and emotional
changes. Consequently, they were interested in the opposite
sex. If they were stimulated by the tempted environment,
they would tend to react to their sexual emotion easily. If
both males and females were mature but they were not ready
for having shared responsibility, social problems would
occur later. In addition, the problem as an important issue
being especially interesting to Thai people would be the
undesirable pregnancy or being pregnant before being
marriage.
VI. MALES AND FEMALES INCLUDING SEXUAL DESIRE
Many people feel that “Men have a greater sexual
desire than women,” and that there is a traditional belief that
“Women should not express their sexual desire.” Instead,
women had to conceal their desire in order to maintain their
good image. Some people believe that a good woman should
not have any sexual desires, when in fact; both males and
females have a natural desire for sex and intimacy. Again,
this depends on the individual.
When comparing men and women, it is difficult to
determine which gender has a greater desire for sex since it
is specific to the individual. However, sexually, men can be
more easily stimulated than women. Also, there are
differences in sexual ideas between males and
females. Men believe in having sex for sport while women
feel that sex is something that should occur between two
people in a loving relationship. Furthermore, men and
women rarely talk about this polarized view of sex for fun
and good feelings versus sex as an integral part of a loving
relationship. This is partially because Thais are taught not to
talk openly about sex[30].
This lack of communication and understanding about sex
ultimately causes couples to unintentionally engage in sexual
relationships. The confusion and misunderstanding between
the genders is clearly exemplified when a man expects sex
from a woman during the first date just because they are
holding hands or in a romantic setting and acting like a
“couple.” Basically, when a woman accepts an invitation
from a man to go on a date, most men believe that this will
lead to sexual intercourse. Some women who are in
committed relationships with their boyfriends still believe
that while they love their partner, the courtship is more
important than sexual intercourse.
VII. THAI CULTURE AND SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP
Thai society was a society influenced by tradition and
culture affecting Thai people’s lifestyles like the other
societies as well as unique characteristic in inculcating the
members in society strictly such as to be respected, to obey
with, and follow the elders’ instruction without focusing on
the reasons. Again, they had to focus on seniority as the
115
major thing.
Not only the behavior in daily life, but also sexual relations
in which Thai people were limited, due to tradition, focusing
on this thing as a concealed topic not to be talked about
openly; specifically, the women’s sexual behavior, which
was restrictive and included serious rules and regulations.
For Thai culture regarding women’s sexual relationships, it
was more limited and narrow-minded in the field than for
males, with the belief that women had to live at their house,
do housework, not dress themselves too beautifully or travel
outside their house alone, especially during the nighttime,
and not to express their sexual need overtly.
According to rationale, Thai women were strictly
inculcated for contacting with the opposite sex as well as
behaving themselves according to the tradition. A family
with daughters had to be especially careful in her behavior
with special attention paid to being virtuous women, well
behaved, not to do before the appropriate time or age, and
keeping her virginity, requiring her to be married according
to one’s own custom and tradition before having sexual
relations with one’s loved one. If a woman lost her virginity
before marriage, she would become worthless, especially
having a sexual relationship before being married because if
she were to become pregnant, changes in her physical
appearance would be obvious, which would lead to a serious
reaction from people in society and thus she would be
criticized or gossiped about as not being well-behaved, while
males were not affected by their sexual behavior and it was
not considered to be disgraceful.
For making friends with the opposite sex, or having sexual
relationship before being married, for males, in Thai society,
still included the value and belief that it was not disgraceful
or a serious thing. Thai males’ freedom in sexual expression
was not as limited as females. On the contrary, many cases
viewed that they were normal or recognized which was
supported by research study of Wisedsang [7] in “Moral
Judgment of Adolescents in Bangkok between males and
females,” found that both male and female adolescents had
their morals judged and that males sexual expressions were
more correct than females in every situation.
VIII. SEXUAL VALUE AND VALUE IN THE STATE OF BEING
MEN-WOMEN
In general, adolescent males and females would make
friends with members of their age group of the opposite sex.
Everyone would need friendship, love, and freedom from
their parents. Therefore, they would seek out like-minded
friends, which would eventually lead to love and end up in
marriage.
Sexual behavior in rural and urban areas shows many
differences. In rural areas, they would date the opposite sex
during ceremonies such as the merit fair or during the
Buddhist Lent. The young adults would collaborate in
cleaning the temple. So, they would have their chance to
make friends as well as be familiar with each other. In rural
society, to contact or make friends between young men and
women had fewer problems than in the city due to the
characteristics of rural society, plus the villagers often had
their settlements close to each other. Consequently, young
 International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, Vol. 1, No. 2, July 2011
people had opportunities to know each other. Therefore,
dating between young adults in the country was not so
confusing. Furthermore, the values of people in the rural
areas still emphasized tradition and culture. The women
would be inculcated to be well behaved by living at home,
not making contact with young men. So, pre-marital sexual
relationships were both uncommon and taboo.
Males and females living in the urban area were influenced
by the mass media. As a result, the young adults in the city
had opportunities to obtain the influence of western culture
by dating with the opposite sex alone as well as having sex
before being married. Some of them were unlucky by facing
problems of being undesirably pregnant or exposed to sexual
diseases from their partners.
However, sexual behavior of males and females in
Thailand, at the present is more prominent than the past, since
the focus of national culture is not as prominent. In the past,
there was only the western culture transferred into Thailand;
but now, even the foreign cultures of neighboring countries
like Japan, or Korea, is another factor that is affecting
changes in the viewpoint, attitude, and value of Thai people,
whether in the way they dress, their freedom of sex, and
outside environmental influence including movies,
magazines, and entertainment venues.
Males and females in the present time are encouraged to
express their sexual needs and have sex before being married,
since the medical technology is more progressed, whether
with the various techniques in birth control as well as
abortion which is safer than before. In present Thai society,
most women who came for an abortion were students with an
age between 13-14 years old [8].
Having sexual relations before being married in Thai
society was viewed as an unethical thing. The guilt would be
with the females more so than the males. In former time, both
male and female adolescents were under control of their
caretakers all the time. So, there was very little opportunity
to have sexual relations before being married. However, in
the present, both males and females have more freedom in
their day to day lives. Consequently, they have more
opportunities to meet both genders. The control for having
sexual need is now less. Furthermore, there are more places
for them to express their sexual need overtly such as the hotel,
motel, karaoke, café etc. engaging in sexual relations. Both
males and females took risks for having deviant behavior as
well as causing various problems, for instance, being
undesirably pregnant or exposing themselves to a contagious
disease. These problems are increasing every year. For Thai
society, such issues are disgraceful for both themselves and
their family, especially in female students facing such
problems which cause the interruption in their studies.
Besides, illegitimate children often considered to be inferior
and cause social problems in the future. Often it is the case
that the pregnant adolescents during studying try to solve the
problem by having an abortion, which affects their physical
well-being and can be dangerous [6]
IX. SEXUAL BEHAVIOR AMONG ADOLESCENTS
In 2003, the survey of National Statistical Office [31]
found that there were increasing numbers of single families.
Thirty percent of those families had single mothers as the
116
head of household. The other thirty percent included
adolescents spending their lives by themselves.
Also, the Population and Social Institute in collaboration
with the Institute of Capital for Health Support and
Enhancement [22] found that the average age of Thai
Adolescents engaging in their first sexual experience was
sixteen years old. In addition, based on the information from
Dr. Amonwich Nakontap, the director of Ramjitti Institute, in
a one-year-cycle during 2005-2006, from Secondary School
Students to Higher Education, he found that their sexual
behavior increased from sixteen to twenty percent compared
to the previous two to three years. Furthermore, in this group,
thirty percent of those adolescents also had previous sexual
experiences. On the other hand, on average, people got
married at the age of 24. Therefore, an eight year gap
occurred from the age of sixteen, when many adolescents had
their first sexual experience, and the average age (24) when
many people entered into marriage. Thus, this trend reflected
the increase in long lasting sexual behaviors and risk without
the responsibilities of social acceptance. There were many
factors leading to stimulation such as teenagers “growing up
faster” which can be attributed to the onslaught of
inappropriate media to which they had access. As a result,
the sexual behavior caused social problems. Moreover, the
effect of this kind of behavior increased as more violence,
rising divorce rates, and men deserting their marriages
increased as well. All of this placed undue stress upon
women and required that they take on even more
responsibility.
Illegal abortion was also on the rise. But, according to the
report, approximately 300,000 teenage abortions took place
each year and many of these happened with complications
[31]. Moreover, scores of teenage moms who could not find
solutions to their pregnancy would desert or abuse their
children, and in at least 30 cases per year, would kill their
child. Apparently, sex education among teenagers was
insufficient. It was found that adolescents participated in sex
education beginning at fourteen years of age, while most of
them (approximately sixty percent) obtained information
from their friends and the internet [31].
Teenagers did not know how to protect themselves in
sexual situations, whether it would be how to refuse to have
sex, or protection by using condoms (only twenty percent of
the teenagers used condoms during intercourse) [31]. The
use of contraceptive pills was not widespread and this issue
was hotly debated after Thailand topped the list of Asian
countries for teenage pregnancy rates. In 2003, UNICEF [32]
found that teenage births accounted for 70 out of 1,000, and
those 70 girls was comprised of young adults between the
ages of fifteen and nineteen years old. Presently, it has
increased to 90 out of 1,000 women, or almost 200 women a
day, while the average value throughout the Asia was 56 out
of 1,000 women between the ages of fifteen and nineteen. In
addition, the global average value was 655 out of 1,000
persons, and there was an increasing number of adolescents
younger than 15 years old when compared with the past two
to three years [32]. More than sixty percent of them had
sexual behavior, were exposed to sexual diseases, or got
pregnant during the initial year of sexual behavior. However,
after the first year of sexual behavior, most of this group of
 International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, Vol. 1, No. 2, July 2011
teenagers began to search for help in order to protect
themselves [32].
The measure used by the United States of America, Japan,
Holland, and Switzerland for alleviating the adolescents’
problem of undesirable pregnancy consisted of: strategies in
being well-behaved or Abstinence, developing the teenagers’
self protective skill, especially the campaign for using
condoms during sex, legal abortions, a work unit providing
support as well as the school system, family, and society at
large [22].
Conversely, Thailand measures for lowering the teenage
pregnancy rate consisted self protective strategies for
adolescents, with particular focus on using condoms every
time and the work unit providing support, including the
school system, family, and society; Abstinence and good
behavior were also focused upon.
X. FACTORS AFFECTING MALES AND MALES AND FEMALES
AND FEMALES’ SEXUAL BEHAVIOR
Nowadays, men and women are more likely to associate
with the opposite sex since they think that associating with
same sex friends is boring and potentially
troublesome. However, if they connect only with the
opposite sex, they will feel more comfortable and less
pressure. Furthermore, it would be invigorating. In recent
times, males and females who interact in social settings often
end up in a sexual relationship regardless of whether they
have known each other for a short time or a long
time. Wittaya Nakwachara [33] stated six factors affecting
males and females’ sexual behavior:
1) Adolescents are naturally curious so they like to pursue
a variety of different partners. In recent times, various
temptations, such as films, cartoon books, and other
supplementary sources have influenced teenagers to act even
more upon their sexual impulses. Even though in the past
Thai Society found it was difficult to accept the changing
sexual norms, these norms are now considered to be more
mainstream.
2) Beseeching or begging, on the part of the male lover, is
often one-sided and when the love is not reciprocated, then
one could assume that true love does not exist. For example,
a woman could not bear to tolerate his begging or beseeching
during different holidays, such as “Valentine’s Day,”
because it may cause her lover to think that sexual intercourse,
which happens as a norm on that day, might take place. This
kind of scenario frequently played out in Thai society, and, in
the “old days,” the woman who scorned her lover or even
became pregnant before marriage would face undue
embarrassment and humiliation by the villagers until she
finally had to move away in order to live a normal life. But
now sexual relations are solely between the man and the
woman who are in the relationship and not, like in the old
days, subject to what the villagers think is right or wrong.
3) Presently, having intercourse among adolescents seems
rather fashionable. In other words, if a couple of anyone’s
beloved for a long time without sexual relationship would be
out of date. In some cases, if the woman does not agree to
have relationship with the man, they might be broken up
since she would be accused that she does not have true
love. “When the word was cited as does not love, does not
117
love, consequently, she might agree with him.” Again, in the
past of Thai Society, many couples of males-females would
be contacted by their elder persons whereas the couples
would meet only a few times before getting married or it was
called “arranged marriage,” in which males-females might
not be willing to marry. But, they had to follow their elders’
opinion.
4) A couple feels the sense of belonging to one another,
therefore touching each other’s bodies in sexual ways makes
them feel like they are in unison and act as one. In the past,
males and females could only engage in this kind of touch on
their wedding night. For some couples, if they did not have
the opportunity to sexually consummate the relationship on
their wedding night, then they simply had to wait, as doing
otherwise was considered taboo to wait If a married woman
had sex outside of the marriage, she would be blamed and
accused of committing adultery. In the present, when a
woman has sexual relations with anybody, it depends on her
willingness to do it. Moreover, she is now able to have a
relationship with another person without fear of being
labeled immoral, as in the past.
5) The feeling as one’s worth for another side, being
acquainted until being called “Fan,” many couples
spend very short-long time differently. It is certain that
almost one hundred percent of couples would end up with
their sexual relationship as to make the other one feel that one
would be wanted or worth another side. For presently, very
few Thai women could preserve their virginity until their
wedding day. However, for any Thai woman who remains a
virgin up to the day of matrimony, it would be considered
very valuable.
6) Sex and the reproductive instinct is natural among
humans and animals. However, animals mate during a
specific mating season whereas for human beings, there is no
time limitation (someone may add that “place,”) as
well. When people reach the adolescent stage of life, their
bodies go through physiological and hormonal changes, thus
causing teenagers to act upon their sexual curiosity and
impulses. Of course, this physiological need to act out
sexually is not universal and depends on the
individual. Some people can resist the urges to act out
sexually while others commit horrific sexual transgressions,
such as raping or even molesting relatives. Many adolescent
couples who experience this sexual awakening rarely remain
together or get married after graduation. It might be because
each of them returns back to their hometowns to work or they
meet other potential partners in their office, etc. So, they start
to feel the excitement of spending time with a new
person. Recently in Thai society, these kinds of relationships
do not last very long, not to mention that the social ills caused
by such relationships, are numerous. For example, having
multiple sex partners, and in some cases, “gigs” (In Thai
society, a gig is a secret lover that a man or woman has
outside of their committed relationship) cause social
problems such as pregnancy, exposure to sexually
transmitted diseases, and hostility among families.
XI. LIVING TOGETHER BEFORE GETTING MARRIED
In general, male and female adolescents are interested in
 International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, Vol. 1, No. 2, July 2011
making friends with the opposite sex, which leads to
searching for friendship and love, as well as freedom from
their family. Therefore, they tend to look for an attractive
member of the opposite sex, with the view to marriage. Both
males and females try to get to know each other before
deciding to choose their preferred partner. This always
occurs in the form of dating, having physical relationships
and finally having sexual relations. Eventually, they get to
know each other in every respect whether in their habits or
tastes, and they adjust to each other’s personalities.
A general characteristic of being an adolescent is that it is
the time in a young person’s life when he/she is stepping into
maturity. It is an age of development in attitude, belief, and
adjustment [3]. It is very difficult for adolescents to
distinguish between love and sexual desire. In addition, the
recent environmental state is full of temptation; most human
beings could not classify the difference between ‘love’ and
‘lust’.
Wasikasin [5] stated that to have sexual relationships
before getting married was the behavior being stated very
much. The touching between a young man and woman was
performed more overtly, which was likely to result in the
engaging of sexual relations before getting married. After
having sex with women, men felt a sort of dominance and the
power to control women, as well as feeling proud of
themselves for having sexual intercourse.
There have been various research studies about the value
of sexual relationships between males and females.
Chaowalit's [1] study found that the male and female
students’ opinion on sexual relationships before marriage are
seen as a normal thing. Moreover, the study of Pochanakool
[2], found that 59.42% of male students viewed that the
sexual relationship before getting married was not harmful,
and 54.55% of them believed that couples should have sexual
relations before being getting married.
Likewise, Wongpechsa-nga’ s [9] study found that the
social factors which students allowed to have sexual relations
before being marriage included: the parents sex and marital
status. Students living dormitories, flats, and houses had
more opportunities to have sexual relations before being
marriage than the students living with their parents. While
Prasartkool [2] studied pre-marital sexual behavior of
adolescents in urban and rural areas, found that living alone
was a factor causing pre-marital sexual relationships.
It might be because today’s adolescents have more
freedom than their forbearers. Consequently, they have more
opportunities to obtain stories regarding sexual relationships,
for instance, the expression between the opposite sex, the
dating between opposite sex, hence, the sexual relations. On
the other hand, the value of Thai society as a Buddhist society
focuses on virtue, the traditional culture, and tradition. As a
result, the adolescents were confused about the relationship
between males and females and thus asked themselves: How
should we conduct ourselves?
Nevertheless, the positive factors of living together before
being married include: (1) Both people could get to know
each other before being married and (2) They could adjust
themselves well after getting married. Besides, many
couples viewed that living together before getting married
was a technique for reducing loneliness and solidarity. They
118
had more confidence as well as feelings that their lives were
more meaningful. The most important factor was the
prevention of homosexual behavior.
XII. THE OUTCOME OF LIVING TOGETHER BEFORE
GETTING MARRIED
It cannot not be denied that the males and females who
have a sexual relationship would be at risk of causing
unwanted pregnancies. According to Witeedharm [8]
concluded that, in general, a large number of women felt that
if they used the birth control devices or medications, it would
affect their emotional feeling very much. In sum, sexual
behavior should occur naturally from the climate of love.
Most women did not want it to be known that they needed
sexual relations, although they really had that feeling.
Unwanted adolescent pregnancies were a major problem
since it was likely to increase due to the growth of science
and technology affecting changes in tradition and
socio-cultural norms as well as incorrect sexual
beliefs. Therefore, the learning and comprehension of the
impact of being pregnant in order to avoid the problems
affecting sexual behavior were important. Also, the
development in self awareness and the application of ones’
critical thinking to solve the problem by themselves
efficiently also came about.
Being undesirably pregnant referred to the situation of
getting pregnant unintentionally without any advance
planning, knowledge and comprehension regarding being
pregnant, and getting pregnant before marriage as well as not
being ready for future economic situations, and the lack of
responsibility demonstrated by the fathers of the children.
The information from National Institute for Children and
Family Development at Mahidol University reported that the
average age of adolescents having sexual relationships before
the appropriate age was between sixteen and eighteen years
of age. Part of this was caused by easy access to
inappropriate media and the resulting tempta-
tions. Consequently, teenagers imitated behaviors that they
saw in the media and on the internet and the increased sexual
behavior led to an increase in undesirable pregnancies. In
addition, according to those stimuli, there were many new
mothers who became pregnant but they were not prepared to
deal with the societal, cultural, economic, or any other
consequences.
According to many research studies, undesirable
pre-marital pregnancies were often caused by no prevention
for various reasons. For example, 1) The lack of knowledge
about what kinds of the birth control are safe and efficient, 2)
The rejection to use the birth control techniques for religious
reasons, 3) The need to prove the state of being male or
female, 4) The lack of mental, emotional, and educational
maturity, 5) The belief that not to use birth control would
make them happier and 6) The feeling that “we would not be
unlucky.”
When the unmarried woman was pregnant, there would be
3 alternatives: to be married and have a child, to have an
abortion, and to have a child without being married, hence
the term, illegitimate child [5]. Whether one chooses any of
these alternatives, the woman was affected in every aspect.
 International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, Vol. 1, No. 2, July 2011
Being pregnant before being married in Thai society was a
serious issue and had a huge impact on the mental feeling of
sexual value determining the Thai female’s value in being a
virgin until getting married.
The major responsibility for Thai females facing problems
of dealing with pre-marital pregnancy, started from being
forced to be married for concealing their own pregnancy,
facing problems in following through with the pregnancy, or
living with gossip for being guilty of violating good ethic and
tradition of society for the remainder of their life. All of these
incidences could very much destroy the potentiality of
females as human beings.
During their sexual relations, it would lead to their
physical and emotional consents causing both physical and
mental risks. Physically, being undesirably pregnant and
having an opportunity to be exposed to sexual disease.
Socially and mentally, many people who had sexual
relationships before marriage felt embarrassed or guilty for
their families, their own specified standards, or their friends
whom they hoped to see marry in future.
XIII. CASE STUDY
One well-known Thai phenomenon in judging the
women’s value can be seen in the case of a famous movie star
actress. On the 2nd September 2005, she announced that she
was five months pregnant as good news, which made her
very happy since she loved children and wished to have some
of her own. She gleefully announced her child's birth, hoping
that everyone would be excited as well as pleased with her
good news.
After her announcement, a startling development occurred.
Various websites were down because Thai people throughout
the country were very much interested in this news. People
accessed the websites and asked many questions and
expressed their opinions a hundred thousand times during the
span of only a few minutes. Every television channel and
newspaper published the news of her pregnancy in great
detail.
The announcement of her pregnancy caused the
presentation viewing this topic as a negative one by giving
many reasons including: the inappropriate behavior as a
public person, the concealment of her pregnancy, and the
questioning of the ignorance of her statement in which she
said, “I did not know I was pregnant.”
According to that phenomenon, it obviously showed the
usage of value and norm of Thai society as a determinant of
women’s values as a doubles standard in judging something.
Starting from whether they were reporters, moderators of
many items, or some representatives of parliament, most Thai
people all over the country believed that the actress'
pre-marital pregnancy was serious because she was the first
person who covered up the fact and told people a lie as a
public person. There were many cases occurring in which
Thai society should raise questions about as being major
issues. For instance, the corrupt politicians, or the politicians
who promised to solve the problems of poverty, traffic, etc.,
all of which, of course, remain major problems to this day.
But, it could not be viewed that Thai people all over the
country or various publications were opposed to what the
119
actress did in her personal life.
Thai society gave a clear explanation regarding the second
standard (pre-marital pregnancies). Basically, Thai society
believes that if adolescents were pregnant before getting
married, many problems would follow because they would
have to be dependent on their parents since they would not be
able to earn a living themselves. It showed that Thai society
used “age,” “occupation,” or “social status,” as criterion for
judging the state of “readiness” or “non readiness,” for being
pregnant as well as raising a child whereas this phenomenon
occurring with the actress who was older than 30, held an
honest occupation, a firm economic status, and a socially
accepted position, was seen as unacceptable . Then, why was
she seriously blamed by society for “being pregnant before
getting married?”
The last standard is commonly overlooked by many people;
Thai law provides permission for women who were raped or
pregnant with danger for their health, to have an abortion.
Some women were pregnant while they were studying and
there were only two alternatives: have an abortion, or not
have an abortion. Therefore, regardless of the choice a
woman made, it would not deprive her of her human rights
and values.
XIV. DISCUSSION
This article tried to understand the cause of why males and
females engage in premarital sexual relationships and the
different reasons in order to develop the good comprehension
in such behavior as well as the usefulness for related persons
to give their suggestion or advice. This advice is geared
towards females who were largely impacted by accidental
pregnancies so that they would behave themselves in a good
and appropriate way. There were many effects of premarital
sexual behavior which might cause many women to lose the
opportunity to live a more fulfilling life.
According to the above articles, it could be viewed that the
sexual behavior of males and females in the present time was
expressed overtly more than in the past, since the information,
news, education and culture from different nations were
obtained. As a result, the sexual behavior of present human
beings is more prominent and accepted. Again, the
acceptance is not the acceptance in freedom of sex or equality
between males and females; rather it leads to the point of
whether Thai society included the loosely structured social
system or the rigidly organized system as stated by both
scholars, Embree and Moerman.
However, these two approaches were considered by many
academic disciplines regarding the structure of Thai
Society. Whether it was concrete or abstract developed for
analysis, we could not deny that it was an important factor for
the country as well as a determiner of current and future
trends for the nation.
Moreover, considering the problem of premarital sexual
behavior which could lead to pregnancy before marriage, one
might conclude that in the area of Thai culture using age,
occupation, working position, responsibility and social status
as the indicators, it could be seen that Thai society did not use
only one standard for judging the human’s value especially in
females. On the other hand, a double standard was used by
 International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, Vol. 1, No. 2, July 2011
administering the value and norm of Thai society as
determinants.
Therefore, the social phenomenon of “Being pregnant
before getting married,” Thai society should use only one
standard to judge, whether it be the behavior or social
expression. The issues of “age,” “occupation,” or “social
status,” should not be used as a criterion. Otherwise, from
comparison, women’s value would be judged with bias.
No man is infallible. So, every social human could make a
mistake. When a woman has made a mistake, she should be
encouraged or have the opportunity from her family or
society “to learn” what she “did not know,” and to cope with
the problem as well as analyze as her lesson for decision
making in her future. If given that chance, then that woman
would be able to raise her child in a quality environment. Do
not forget that the major cause of women “getting pregnant
before marriage,” was having sexual intercourse without
prevention; this kind of carelessness which resulted in
unwanted pregnancies was unintended.
Was it the appropriate time for Thai society to search for
the correct and meaningful meaning of “value and freedom of
gender,” whether one would be male or female? Everyone
should behave himself/herself appropriately in sexual
behavior as well as combine it to be his/her real personality.
Woman should not be born for being only a “wife” of her
husband or a “mother” of her child. She might make a
mistake just like a man would make. She should use her
mistake as her life lesson as well as to prepare to face the
problems by being encouraged to not make the same mistake
again. If Thai Society still focused on various things without
looking ahead to the future, by emphasizing old norms and
beliefs while the developed countries forged ahead for
progress development as well as selecting to conserve with
reason. Consequently, we did not dismiss the fact that
conservative Thai people helped to restrain the structure of
Thai society in that they resist change.
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Wilailak Ounjit has been a lecturer in the Department
of Sociology and Anthropology, Faculty of Humanities
and Social Sciences at Mahasarakham University since
2008. Prior to that time, she lectured for several
years at Hohai University in Nanjing, China. Dr.
Ounjit received her Master’s degree at Western Illinois
University, USA and her PhD at the University of
Surrey, UK in 2004. Her PhD examined the physical
and psychological relationship between domestic workers and their
employers. Over the last few years, she presented several papers at
international and national conferences. Her research interests include
university students’ learning potential and HIV and the sexual behavior of
homosexual males